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Location notes

A small town just on the Welsh side of the River Dee valley, a few miles south of Wrexham on the Chester - Shrewsbury line.

Railway type and traffic

Hourly Chester - Shrewsbury service, with some trains starting back from North Wales, South Wales or Birmingham. A mix of 158s and 175s.Some freight, mainly steel from Dee Marsh to South Wales.

Environment

A viaduct in open country at the south end of Chirk town. Photos can be taken from the adjacent aqueduct tow path, from above the canal tunnel portal and from the B4500 road that runs east-west at the north end of the tunnel. The area is very quiet during the day and in between trains, there are benches at the side of the canal basin to sit on and watch the narrow boats go by.

Road directions

From the south:Take the A5 from Shrewsbury towards Chester and take the B5070 at a roundabout a few miles north of Gobowen. After crossing the Rover Dee and into Wales, you will come to a crossroads. Turn left onto the B4500 and after about 1/4 mile, you will see Station Road (Ffordd-yr-Orsaf) on the right. You can park on Station Road itself; do no't try parking on the B4500 as there is nowhere safe to do so.

From Chester and Wrexham:Take the A483 south past Wrexham until you get to the roundabout where it meets the A5. Turn right onto the A5 (signposted Llangollen) and left onto the B5070 (signposted Chirk) after about half a mile. Take B5070 to Chirk and just as you arrive at the village, turn right into Station Avenue (signposted Chirk station) and at the station, turn left into Station Road/Ffordd-yr-Orsaf. The junction with the B4500 is about 1/4 mile further on.From the Llangollen direction:Take the A5 towards Wrexham to the B5070 roundabout mentioned above; turn right onto the B5070 and then follow the same directions as from Chester.

The best shots are in the morning until about 1100; you can get a good shot of a northbound train from above the canal tunnel with the aqueduct in view and other shots can be had from the canal tow path. The tow path can get busy with walkers at weekends. If you are lucky, you might get a narrow boat or two in your pic as well.There is a passable afternoon shot from the B4500 looking through some gaps in trees, but in the afternoon, it is recommended that you go about half a mile to the west, where there is a minor road on the right (you can park one or two cars here) and this gives a more distant broadside view of both the canal aqueduct and the railway viaduct.The best place for videos would be the canal tow path, but you have to watch out for walkers.

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